"Double Vision" is a single by
Foreigner from their
second album of the same name. The song reached No. 2 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for two weeks in 1978, behind "
MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and later designated City of Los Angeles H ...
" by
Donna Summer.
It became a
gold record
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
. The song was also a top 10 hit in Canada.
The song has been a staple of the band's setlist since its release. Over recent years,
Lou Gramm
Lou Gramm (born Louis Andrew Grammatico; 2 May 1950) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer of the rock band Foreigner from 1977 to 1990 and 1992 to 2003 during which time the band had numerous successful albu ...
and Foreigner (now fronted by
Kelly Hansen) have both used the song as their show opener.
Background and writing
In an interview, vocalist Lou Gramm explained the origin behind the song: "'Double Vision' was a song that was written in about late 1977 just before the ''
Double Vision
Diplopia is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object that may be displaced horizontally or vertically in relation to each other. Also called double vision, it is a loss of visual focus under regular conditions, and is often v ...
'' album came out. ...A lot of people think it's about being
intoxicated or being high. When we were recording that song before we had the title, the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
hockey team was playing the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...
and one of the big Flyers guys bumped into the Rangers' all-star goalie
John_Davidson.html" ;"title="John Davidson (ice hockey)">John Davidson">John Davidson (ice hockey)">John Davidson/nowiki> and knocked him down and they had to take him out of the game because he was experiencing double vision
Diplopia is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object that may be displaced horizontally or vertically in relation to each other. Also called double vision, it is a loss of visual focus under regular conditions, and is often v ...
."[ Gramm similarly stated:
]I was a season ticket holder for the New York Rangers and they were playing the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals. While we were recording, I had an eight-inch TV taped inside my vocal booth with the volume turned all the way down. While I was singing and recording, I’d keep my eye on the screen. Then, whenever we stopped, I’d turn the volume up a little bit. On one occasion, the play had stopped when Dave Schultz from the Flyers skated in front of John Davidson, the Ranger’s goalie, gave him an elbow and knocked him out cold. The trainers helped Davidson off the ice and the Rangers wound up putting in the second-string goalie. Every so often, the announcers would come on and say they were waiting for word on the condition of Davidson. Finally, the announcer said, “The trainers said they don’t think Davidson will be back tonight. He doesn’t have a concussion, but he is experiencing… double vision." That’s when I said — “That’s it!”
According to the New York Rangers website, the incident actually took place in April 1978 during a hockey game between the Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
. The game announcers repeatedly used the phrase "double vision" which then inspired Foreigner to use it as the song's title.
The single is certified RIAA gold, selling one million copies, prior to the reduction of gold certification standards that occurred in the late 1980s.
''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' critic Ken Tucker suggested that the title phrase seems to suggest that "all the pent-up frustration and rage felt by the narrator ue to his romantic agonyhas found its pernicious outlet in a sort of ocular apoplexy."
Reception
'' Billboard'' felt that "Double Vision" was a stronger single than the previous release "Hot Blooded
"Hot Blooded" is a song by the British-American rock band Foreigner, from their second studio album ''Double Vision''. It was released as a single in June 1978 and reached #3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart that September. The single was a ...
" due to its "driving but less monotonous hard rock rhythm" and "more infectious melody." '' Cash Box'' said it has "slashing guitars and a mean, ticking beat" that gives way "to an appealing, lighter chorus which is underlined by gently swirling keyboard work" and also praised the vocal performance.
''The Daily News Journal
''The Daily News Journal'', commonly abbreviated to ''DNJ'', is a newspaper serving Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Rutherford County, and surrounding communities. It is Rutherford County's sole daily newspaper. It publishes print and digital content. ...
'' critic Gary Balser regarded "Double Vision" as the best song on the album, stating that it is "an example of Foreigner's individual sound with a keyboard interlude and a constant bass and guitar drive." ''San Pedro News-Pilot'' critic Joseph Bensoua said it has "just the right hooks, phrasing and simple lyrics needed for controlled rock 'n' roll. ''St. Joseph News-Press
The ''St. Joseph News-Press'' is a daily morning newspaper based in St. Joseph, Missouri. It is the flagship publication of the News-Press & Gazette Company, which owns newspapers across northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, and telev ...
'' critic Conrad Bibens described "Double Vision" as "competent but a little too bombastic." Tucker described the melody as "melodramatic," said of Gramm's vocal performance that his "histrionic head tones threaten to capsize his sinuses as he moans about the suffering he must bear at the hands of wretched women" and found lyrics such as "No disguise/For that double vision...My double vision is the best of me" to be "incomprehensible."[
Music critic Maury Dean stated that it "sparks double-whammy of... Jones's steamy guitar salvos and Lou Gramm's White Soul volcanic vocalics."] ''Detroit Free Press'' critic Kim McAuliffe described the melody as being "one of those ditties, like a television commercial jingle, that imprints itself on your brain whether you want it to or not." ''Billboard'' reviewer Gary Graff rated "Double Vision" to be Foreigner's 10th greatest song. ''Classic Rock History'' critic Brian Kachejian rated it as Foreigner's 5th best song, particularly praising the opening guitar riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...
.
Chart history
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{authority control
1978 singles
Foreigner (band) songs
Songs written by Mick Jones (Foreigner)
Songs written by Lou Gramm
Song recordings produced by Keith Olsen
1978 songs
Atlantic Records singles
Song recordings produced by Mick Jones (Foreigner)
Song recordings produced by Ian McDonald (musician)